Right in the middle of a large project we were doing for a local builder (that's part of a national company) I had a heart attack and had to be in the hospital for four days.
One of the jobs was lettering both sides of a 54' construction trailer. It was an old one that had been repainted several times and was used for storage on construction sites, as well as advertising.
The company was unveiling their new brand and we did waterjet cut letters for the front of the building, vehicles, and interior signage. All had to come together today for the suits that were in town from 27 states. It was a BIG DEAL!
The problem was that I was in the hospital and my son Mike was left to take care of things while I was in bed trying to figure out what was on my meal tray.
This photo shows Mike putting the finishing touches on the trailer Tuesday afternoon. Before going into the hospital I had made patterns on the plotter from the artwork supplied to us by an advertising agency in Kansas. Mike perforated them and taped everything up.
Mike took it from there and did almost the entire lettering job alone. The large logo was scaled and lines were snapped rather than trying to make a paper pattern. Mike's son Dalton helped with the patterns and snapping the lines. Since we had temperatures at 100 degrees and there was no shade, Mike came in at night, set up lights and finished the job.
You can tell from the photo that the trailer isn't smooth, but is covered with rivits and has double doors in both sides. A real nightmare to letter.
All the red is double coated. One Shot lettering enamels were used.
Needless to say, I am extremely proud of my son for stepping up to the plate and going the extra mile to make sure we met the deadline. Mike also works part time at our local golf course, so there were some long days involved.
Just out of curiosity, what would you charge for a job like this? The artwork was provided and we just made patterns and did the lettering. There's nothing on the back. All paint - no vinyl.
Posted by Mick Samsel (Member # 311) on :
"I am extremely proud of my son"
And that is one great feeling! There are plenty of challenges along the way, but it's these moments that make them all worth while.
Remember to take care, good to see you again!!
Mick
Posted by jack wills (Member # 521) on :
$ 150.00 and 2 cases of Lone Star...
Posted by Frank Magoo (Member # 3950) on :
Once a Chapman, always a Chapman...you have a great son there Ray...get well soon or we'll just have to haul you off to Harding's room, don't make us go U-HAUL on you, lol.....
Posted by Duncan Wilkie (Member # 132) on :
Wow, very impressive Mike. You are a good son.
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
I wonder who his mentor was?
Nice way of stepping to the plate, Mike.
Posted by Jean Shimp (Member # 198) on :
Ray, Glad you're back in the swing of things. Sometimes it seems like bad things happen at the worst possible time. Thankfully Mike did a great job in covering for you. Makes me think I should be better prepared for something like this. Regarding the pricing for the job, I try to figure by the sq. ft. and then do a "walk through" in my mind of the time and material.Then I come up some place in the middle. If this is 54 ft long and guessing 10' high with 50% coverage, that's roughly 270 sq ft painted area. The last job I did in vinyl with rivets came out to about $12 per sq. ft. So 12x270 is $3240. Not sure how to compare painting with vinyl - are they about the same?
